First off, who the hell is Jon Barton really and why does what he says matter to anyone? This is not a rhetorical question because I have only lived here since 2003 and since that time have never witnessed any evidence, verbal, written or, most importantly, results, that he knows what he is talking about. He frequently delivers, as fact, provably false statements or just his personal opinion, (look through some of the comments he submits to FERC, etc…) and SCDC is no more successful at economic development than the Port of Coos Bay. There is just no current, relevant empirical evidence to explain his hold over some of the local business people.
Barton may be the worst enemy of successful development because he actively alienates, using abrasive language, both consumers and developers. The leadership at SCDC, from Barton to his replacement, John Knutson and its paid executive director, Sandy Messerle, instead of reaching out to opponents, stoop to wild accusations and name calling. Messerle once publicly called a Bandon Woodlands Community Association member an obstructionist and this excerpt from Barton’s latest email exemplifies this culture of division SCDC chooses to foster. The “them” or “us” mentality. [emphasis added]
Why is your attendance important? There is a small but highly vocal group of people representing themselves as “the public” who oppose virtually every development opportunity that comes to Coos County. In fact, the public is much more than the dozen or folks who apparently have nothing else to do but rail against development at commissioner meetings. The commissioners need to know what the “real public” thinks about such matters. I realize we are all working or running our businesses and it is difficult to take time to come and speak or just come and be supportive but if we don’t, we risk abdicating to whims of those who do not have such obligations. By not being present we empower them. By being present we let them, as well as the commissioners, know how the rest of us, the true majority, feel about such matters.
Barton must still be smarting after “the true majority”, 58%, stopped a hoped for coup by the PAC(K) in its tracks. SCDC and the board of CCAP are so sequestered in their worm’s eye view of the world they assume anyone not a member of chamber of commerce do not have “obligations”, business or otherwise, when the opposite is true. Many successful business owners do not see value in joining cliques that openly offend their clientele or that stand in the way of economic development in favor of 18th century fossil fuel industries that require millions of dollars and years to permit, are rife with liability, threaten public health and safety and bring expensive environmental degradation.
SCDC will always be a failure and waste public dollars as long as it retains its current management. If it is ever to be effective it needs new professional and progressive leaders capable of a taking a broader view, (remember the SDAT report…), and who are willing to reach out to the wider brain trust embodied in that 58% rather than trying to pretend the “true majority” don’t exist.
Poked my head in this morning and the walrus was a no show
His minions attended for him
Barton’s job among the gang is to recruit the “right people” for any position that can be influenced by SCDC. His main goal is to seat his choices in as many local councils, commissions, and non-profits as possible. SCDC has a goal for resource extraction that wants zero local resistance. If you seat all the players, you control the game.
He’s just a worker bee for some bigger players. Just look who wants to come to town for the answer of who he represents. Look all the way up the political ladder to see who he has as silent political allies, See what they do for the cause.
For multiple reasons we don’t join the chamber, one being the organization condones the type of behavior you have described.
Readers, you should read what some of Barton’s fellow employees of 20 years ago say about him. He apparently was always a bozo managing by insult, fear and intimidation. What’s new? (The company was Cooper Safety, since Aero Corporation, and now a division of 3M). Too many locals believe his bullcrap and are convinced that he is the only local to have managed a company ergo he is all knowing. WRONG! There are retired locals (at least two in Bandon) who have managed billion dollar not million dollar companies who laugh at Barton. One Bandon politicians dad currently manages a billion dollar company. How many times during the past 15 years has he run for office and been rejected by the voters? Wasn’t he removed from the port board (where he was a political appointee) by the governor? If you want to learn the qualifications of the SCDC day to day manager, write or call Mayor Moore of Elkhart. They will not hesitate to say that the lady was loved by all; but, her qualifications to lead a jobs creating organization that has spent 2 million of peoples money and done nothing included responsibility for a facade program (Joyce Jenson of Coos Bay is paid about $100K/year to do the same job) and she managed a small redevelopment effort. None of what she did has ever involved creating jobs. So, don’t expect her to arrive in town able to do the impossible although it was Barton (again) and McKeown who told us that she was able to walk on water when she was selected.
Hey Walrus, that small but vocal group are taxpayers which provide the feed for yer slop bucket., you are offending every ‘working’ Joe in this county when you talk about working people like you do. You mock them, then you spend their hard earned money sucked from the teat of the Taxpayer, and line yer pockets and that of another Messerlie? Party planner turned executive? Only in Coos County.
Tired of real work I suppose, when he can write grants for equipment he sells to non profits “all over Oregon’ to the tune of fifty thousand dollars a pop? That’s just sloppy Jon.
Key word: small
Pretty sloppy.